Offset disk harrow



May 20, 1952 w. R. MOKAY ETAL OFFSET DISK HARROW 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 14, 1944 ATTORNEYS NESS 55W W. R. MQKAY ETAL May 20, 1952 OFFSET DISK HARROW 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 14, 1944 wlLLlAM a C i fi ATTORNEYS ROLLIE H. MITCHELL 2 WIT N533 May 20, 1952 w. R. M KAY EIAL OFFSET DISK HARROW 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed June 14, 1944 INVENTORJ WILLIAM R. MCKAY ROLLIE H. MITCHEILL ATTORNEYS May 20, 1952 w. R. MOKAY ETAL OFFSET DISK HARROW 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed June 14, 1944 INVENTORJ WILLIAM R. MCKAY LLIE H. MITCHELL ATTORNEYS WITNESS a a W Patented May 20, 1952 c l. Hun n o rk. Ca t, ss no s o John Deere-Kinetic! Company, a corporation of California Application'lune 14, 1944, Serial No. 540,340

M CIQ iMS. (CI. 55-73) The p esent inv ntion relat s ne ally to ground w rking im m nts. with particular re erence to offs t disk ba rows ofth -.typeinwhieh e f o t and rear genes are i idl fixed an RQSitiOnin a unitary rame and aretransported on vertically shifta ble carrying wheels mounted on the impl mentfram The principal object of the present nven ion relates to the provi ioneda noveland improved ofiset disk harrow, which is-of simplified construction but is str n and durable; an .efiio nt in operation.

Another object relates :to t p ov si n. of an improved lifting arran me t. for ra in theharrow upon the transport wheels, which lifting mechanism is more convenient and easier-to oper-. ate than those heretofore known to t ose skilled in the art. In the aocomplishm ntofh s o ject, the wheels are, mounted on crank axles .swin ablv connected to theharrow fram aton posite, sides thereof, oneof the wheelaxles extendingforwardly and the other rear-wardly from a pair of rockshafts iournaled on theirame. Each of.-the rockshalfts, is provided witha, liftin arm which is connected-t a threaded liftin mechanism adjustableiby means of amhmiai y operated crank. 'The twocraniis for the two lifting screw devices are. mounted side. hy sideon the rear end of the narrow frame, permittin either simultaneous or independent adjustme v,

to raise and lower the narrow frame, and since one of the wheel supporting crank axlesswings downwardly and rearwardly andthe. other swing downwardly and forwardlymthe frame is main tained in proper balance in all positions ofthe. carrying wheels. In orderto, vfurther facilitate lifting the harrow frame, counterhalancmg springs are connected to suitable varms'on he rockshaft and. extend forwardly andrearwardl-y therefrom, respectively, and are, anchored to the f ont. and rear. angs, respectively.

Still another object; relates-to. the. provision of novel and improved means responsiv t the turning of the tractor, or otherdraftlvehielein one direction'for facilitating theturn in that direction. A disk barrow of the, offset-type can he turned easily in the direction, oi convergence of the. axes oftheames: which is usua ly towa he left or the implement; It is .very dimcnit, however. to make a turn in the opposite direction. with the disk gangsineground work-in position, ,nlthou hit is possihleto raise the. frame upon the t ansportwhee1s-hefor mak nsoaright turn, thi op ration r quiresoons derabie time; to accomplis manu y,. and wlhileothere I are .;harr

iQ s of this type known to the art, which are provided with power operated mechanism for raising the frame upon the transport wheels for the purpose of negotiating a right turn, this methanismis rather costly and complicated. .It has heenfound, however, that if either the front san or the reargang is raised out of ground working position, theharrow will follow the tractor in a turn'away from the directionodrconvergence of the gangs and the effort necessary to raise, one end of the harrow is much less than that required to raise the entire harrow out of ground working position. Aocordingly,.another bjeotof our invention relates to-the provision of novel a d improved means, responsive to the turning of the tractor, to raise one end of the harrow to facilitate makinga right turn.

S ll her m rev specific object relates to. the provision of a caster Wheel-mounted on the rear end ofthe harrow frame by means providing for vertical shifting movement or the caster wheel relative to theharrow frame, and connected to thetractorso that a turn of the latter to the right raises the rear end of the frame on the caster wheel and permit the harrow to roll on the-, f ront gang of disks through the rightuturn. automatically,returningrto full ground working position vafter the turn has been negotiated,

St ll another object of our invention has to the provision of means responsiveto the g of the tractorin the direction opposite tothedirection of convergence of theaxes of the-disk games for raising the frontend. of the harrowframeto lift thefront gang of disks out ofground working position to permittheharrow toroll on the reardisk gang through the right turn. In the accomplishment of this object, the implement frame and the hitch. member, whichis normally vertically 'swingable relative thereto, are angled upwardly -so that the front ndo t e na row f ame is supported throu h the hitch member on the tractor. A still further object relates lac-the provision for using the front an li in mech n m-f r angulariy fixing the hitch member relative to the harrow frame for purposesof transport, whereby the narrow frame is supported on thepair of transport wheels and also carried at its. frontend through the hitch member on the drawbar of the tractor;

A further object relates to' the provision of n eansfior adjnstably aligning the :wheels inthe direction of travel of the harrow, to compensate for a slight change in the angularrelation between thefrarneand the direction of advance which iscausedr y-shirting the hitch device embodying the principles of our invention, shown in ground working position.

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of thehar row shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a side elevational view of the harrow raised into transport position.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary front elevational view of one of the transport wheels, showing the means for adjusting the alignment of the wheel, drawn to an enlarged scale.

Figure 5 is a side elevational view of the harrow shown in a position with the front gang lifted from the ground for purposes of making a right turn.

Figure 6 is a partial side elevational view of the harrow showing the front end of the frame equipped with amodified form of lifting device for angling the frame and hitch member upwardly to raise the front gang.

Figure-7 is a plan view showing a modification of our invention in which the rear end of the frame is' raised on a caster wheel for purposes of making a right'turn.

Figurea is a side elevational view of the harrow shown in'Figure '7, shown in a position in which the rear end of the frame is raised for purposes of making a turn, a portion of the rear disk gang being broken away to more clearly show the details of the caster wheel.

Figure 9 is aside elevational view of the harrow shown in Figures 7 and 8, raised upon the transport wheels.

Figure 10 is an enlarged elevational view show ing the details of a manually actuable locking device for fixing the hitch member relative to the harrowiframe for purposes of transport.

Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to Figures 1-5, inclusive, the harrow comprises a front gang of disks l2 and a rear gang of disks 13, each gang being 'ournaled in a gang frame 14 comprising a pair of fore and aft spaced transversely extending frame members l5, l6 interconnected by a fore and aft extending frame member H at each end thereof. The two gangs of disks l2, 13 are disposed in permanently angled position with the axes of the two gangs disposed substantially in a common horizontal plane and angled with the point of convergence to the left of the harrow. The front gang of disks is positioned to throw the soil to the right and the rear gang of disks is oppositely positioned to throw the soil to the left, in a conven tional manner. The two gang frames Mare rigidly interconnected in this position, by means of a plurality of generally fore and aft extending interconnecting frame members l8, l9, ZtLwhich are rigidly bolted or otherwise fixed to the front and rear frame members [5, l6 of each of the two gang frames I4. Thus, the two gangs [2, 13 are journaled in a permanently angled position in a rigid unitary frame, which is provided with downwardly extending legs 2|, which are attached to the gang bolts 22 in a manner wellknown to those skilled in the art.

Draft is applied to the harrow through a hitch member including a longitudinally extending 4 hitch bar 25 connected through a pivot bolt 26 to a clamping member 21, which is fixed by a bolt 28 to a transversely disposed pipe member 29. The pipe member 29 is journaled in a pair of forwardly extending brackets 30 attached to the forward ends of the two outer longitudinal frame members I8, 20, respectively; The hitch bar 25 is braced against lateral swinging movement by means of an extensible brace member 3| bolted to the bar 25 and the intermediate portion of the latter by a bolt 32 and connected by a pivot bolt 33 to a clamp 34 which is rigidly fixed to the transverse pipe member 29 by a bolt 35. Thus, it is evident that normally the hitch bar 25 is swingable' vertically together with the brace 31 and the pipe member 29, about the generally transverse axis of the latter. This action is necessary during operation, to permit the front and rear gangs of the harrow to follow the ground regardless of relative vertical movement of the tractor or draft vehicle. The tractor is indicated in the drawings by a transverse draft frame 35, to which the forward end of the hitch bar 25 is pivotally connected by means of a vertically disposed draft pin or bolt 31, aboutwhich the harrow is free to swing in a manner wellknown to those skilled in the art. The amount of offset to the left or to the right of the center line of the tractor is adjustable by lengthening or shortening theextensible brace 3|, to change the angle of the bar 25' to the pipememberiil; and furthermore the hitch member can be shifted laterally along the pipe member 29 by removing the bolts 28 and 35 and shifting the clamps 21 and 34, replacing the bolts in any of a number of apertures 38 provided in the pipe member 29 for that purpose. I 1

It is evident, that when the tractor makes a turn to the left, the horrow will follow easily, since the convergence of the front and rear disk gangs is toward the left. It is also evident that with the harrow in full ground working position, it would be very difiicult to negotiate a turn to the right, for it would be necessary todrag the front gang of disks inadirection substantially parallel to its axis. Therefore, with this typeof harrow, it is necessary to raise one or both of the diskgangs out of ground working position in order'to make a turn to the right. In this em-.- bodiment of the present invention, the front gang is lifted responsive to a turning of the tractor to-the right, by means of a block and tackle mechanism indicated in its entirety by reference numeral 49." Referring more particularly to Figures 1 and 5, a sheave 41 is mountedon' a shaft, which is journaled in a pair of brackets 43 which are bolted to the forward end of one of the longitudinal frame members 20 andto a frame member 44 extending across the .front gang frame l4, respectively. .A lowersheave 45 is journaled at the endof a rearwardly extending arm 46, which is fixed to a sleeve 41 on the transverse pipe member 29. The clamping sleeve 41 is secured to the pipe member 29 by means of a bolt 48' extending vertically through one of the apertures 38, thereby fixing the'arm 46, 'o'n'the pipe 29, and causing it to swing aboutthe axis of the latter together with the hitch device. The two sheaves 41, 45 are disposed in substantially vertical alignment and a flexible cable 50 is "anchored by means of a fitting 5| to the front trans verse frame member l5 of the front 'disk gang [4. The cable 50 is trained upwardly and rearwardly over the upper sheave M, from whichit passes downwardly and forwardly under the lower 5. sheave'ii. The forward end of the cable 58 is securely attached by means of a suitable fitting 52 to the draft frame 360i the tractor in-laterally oifset relation toward the "left from the pivot connection 31 of the draftbar25.

- When the-tractor makes aright turn, the draft frame i 3 5' swings in a clockwise direction relative to thedra'ftbar25 asv-iewed in Figure 1, about the'vertical'axis of the-draft bolts 31, and the left end of the draft frame 36, in swinging forwardly,-' exerts a force intension upon the cable 58, pulling the latter forwardly. This tendsto draw the two sheaves 41, '45 together, and since theend of the cable58 is anchored to the'harrow frame; the effect of this action is 'to raise the lower-sheave' 65, swinging the arm 46 together with-the pipe member 29- and hi-tch bar 25 in a clockwise direction as'viewedin Figure 5 relative to 'theframe of I the harrow. Inasmuch a's'the forwardendof the hitchdeviee is supported on the tractor draft frame 36, this angular movement-of the draft'device and harrow frame raises theentire front ganglz fromthe ground, leaving the harrow supported on-the tractor-draft frame 35 "atits' forward endandon the disks of the rea'r gang 13 at its rear end. 'Thereargang-disks are inclined towardth'e 'right, making it easy to negotiate the right turn, without interference from the front gang I2. As soon as the tractor is straightened'once more, the cable 50is relaxed, allowing the front end of the harrow to "be lowered to-the ground, after whichthe ground working operation continues in a normal manner. Thus, it is evident that'the right turn can be made without attention of the tractor operator, sincethe lifting mechanism 48 operates entirely automatically. I I

- When the har row-is-transported from one field to' another, it is-raised out of ground working position upon a pair of laterally spaced transport wheels 55, 56, by means which will now'be described. Each of the wheels 55, 5B is journaled at the end-of acrank axle'5l, 58, respectively, which are' mounted on a pair. of transversely disposedrockshaf-ts 59, 60, respectively. 7 The rockshaft 59 is journaled' -at-its left endin a bracket 6 l-jwhich is fixedto the rear frame member l6 of thefront gang frame. "-Therightend of the rockshaft-.59 is journaled in a bracket 62 which is mountedon the center frame member Ill. The other rockshaft 68 is journaled in a bearing mounted onthebracket 62 at its left end and in asecondbracket B3 fixed to the right hand-lon gitudinal frame member 20.- The axes of the two rockshafts 59, "60 are disposed between the front and rear gangs and are substantially parallel to eachother and spacedclosely together although not necessarily-in transverse alignment with each other.- Thecrank axle 51 is fixed to the rockshaft 5 9 in such a manner that it extends rearwardly therefrom, while the other crank axle 58 extends forwardly from the roe-kshaf-t '60. Thus, when the tw'o rockshafts' are rocked to swing the axles 51, -58 downwardly to raise the harrow frame on the two transport wheels 55, 56, they are swung in opposite directions and thus do not tend tounbala'nce the-harrow-frame as the latter is raised upon the wheels. Furthermore, thereis no tendencytopush the harrow forwardly or rearwardly by the downward swinging movement er the crank axles.

' The crank axle- 5'9 is'rocked through an arm 65 which is rigidly fixed to the rockshafft and ext'en icls'upward-1ytherefrem- A rod 66 has one end lae'n't to forni a hook which engages a suitable aperture in the end of the arm 65, the rear end of the rod 66 being rigidly fixed to a sleeve member 61, the interior of which is provided with suitable threads adapted to engage a threaded shaft 68, which is telescopically related to the sleeve 61. The rear end of the shaft 68 is mounted in thrust bearings 69 which are supported in a bracket 70 extending upwardly from the rear frame member l6 of the rear gang frame M... Stop collars H are fixed to the shaft 68 on both sides of the thrust bearings 89, whereby the shaft 68 is prevented from shifting fore and aft relative-to the harrowframe, but is permitted to be rotated by means of a manually actuable handle 12 at the rear end of the shaft 88 behind the'bracke-t 78. Thus, by turning the handle or crank 12, the threaded shaft 68 is rotated withi'nthethreaded-sleeve 61, causing the latter to shift forwardly and rearwardly and thereby swingingthe arm 65, together with the rockshaft 59 and crank axle 51 about the axis of the rockshaft 59. By turning the handle 12 in one direction the sleeve 61 is moved rearwardliswing'ing the crank axle 51 downwardly to raise the harrow frame upon the transport wheel 55, while turning the handle in the opposite direction raises the crank axle andlowers the harrow frame.

Likewise, the rocksh-aft 60 is provided with an arm '55 to which is-swingably connected a rod 16 having a threaded sleeve H attached to the rear end thereof, within which is telescopically disposed a threaded shaft'l8, mounted. in a pair of thrust bearings 19 in a bracket mounted on the rear transverse member l6 of therear gang frame I l. A'pair of stop collars 8| arefixed to the shaft #8 on opposite sides of the thrust bearings l9 and the rear end of theshaft 18 is provided with a crank 82, which is disposed adjacent the other crank 12 and can be operated either simultaneously therewith or independently thereof. In this manner, the harrowframe can be raised by turning both cranks T2, 82, and when it is raised to transport position it can be leveled by turning one or the other of the cranks independently; Obviously, to raise the right side of the harrow, the crank must be turnedin the di rection to shift the sleeve 11 forwardly in order to swing the crank axle 58 downwardly and rearwardly.

A pair of counterbalancing springs 84,85 is provided for facilitating theraising of the harrow frame upon the transport wheels. The spring 84 is connected to an arm 86 fixed to the inner end of the rockshaft 59 and extending rearwardly therefrom to an'anchor bolt 81 attached to the front transverse frame member I5 of the rear gang member Id. The spring is connected to a short strap member 88 which is apertured to receive the end of the rod 16, adjacent the actuating arm 15. The spring 85 extends forwardly therefrom and is connected to an anchor bolt 89 which is secured to a lug 98 fixed to the outer frame member 20. Bothof the springs 84, 85 are of the helical type and are stressed in tension to exert a force upon the rockshafts tending to swing the wheels downwardly to raise-the harrow frame. Obviously, by properly adjusting the tension of the springs 84, 85, the operation of raising t e harrow to transport position can beaccomplished very easily by an operator standing behind the harrow. Inasmuch as thescrew mechanism is non-reversible in action, the wheels will maintain any position in which they are left. In Figure 2 the wheels 'areshcwnin the completely raised position above the groundlevel, in which position the weight of the wheels is added to the harrow frame to increase the penetration of the disks. In Figure 3 the wheels are shown in the transport position. If the wheels are left in any intermediat position, they will serve as gauge wheels and will limit in some degree the amount of penetration of the disks. When the harrow is being transported, it is advisable to angularly fix the hitch bar 25 relative to the harrow frame in order to provide three points of support and thus make the implement more stable during transport. This can be accomplished by means of the block and tackle mechanism 40 and is made effective by disconnecting the cable 50 from its connection 52 on the tractor draft frame 30 and reconnecting the cable 50 to an anchor bolt attached to the draft bar 25 behind the draft pin 31. The cable 50 is, of course, pulled tight in order to restrain angular movement between the hitch device and the harrow frame. I I

- As mentioned above, the amount of oifset of the harrow is controlled by shifting th point of draft laterally relative to the harrow frame. However, adjustment of this. point of draft also results in a variation in the angular relation between the harrow frame and the direction of travel. Hence, the rockshafts59 and 60 are disposed perpendicular to the direction of travel in only one adjustment of the hitch device and therefore the wheels 55, 56 are thrown slightly out of line inother positions of the hitch member. Although the effect of this misalignment of the wheels with respect to the direction of travel during ground working operation is negligible, and can be ignored, we have shown in Figure 4 how thewheels can be mounted to provide an adjustment thereof so that they can be set in fore and aft extendin planes in any working position of the harrow. Referring to Figure 4, the wheel 56 is journaled on an axle 95 which is pivotally connected to the end of the crank axle arm 58 by means of a pivot pin 96. The axle 95 is extended inwardly from the crank arm,58 and is provided with a clamping bolt 91 whichextends through an arcuate slot 98, which is provided in a sector 99 rigidly fixed to the lower end of the arm 58. The slot 98 is curved in a circular are about the center of the pivot bolt 90, so that the axle 95 after being angularly adjusted relative to the arm 58 to place the wheel in a fore and aft extending-plane, can be rigidly secured in adjusted'position by tightening the bolt 91. V

Figure 6 illustrates an alternative mechanism I00 which can be substituted for the block and tackle device 40 for raising the front end of the harrow frame when making a right turn and also for angularly securing the hitch device relative to the harrow frame for transport purposes. In the embodiment of Figure 6, the transverse pipe member 29 is provided with an upwardly extending arm IOI rigidly fixed thereto. Alever I02 is swingably connected by a pivot bolt I03 at the upper end of the arm MI and the lever I02 is connected to the cable 50. The other end of the lever I02 is provided with a camming surface I04 which engages a cam following roller I05, fixed to the shaft 42 which is journaled in the brackets 43. When the cable 50 is pulled forward, the camming portion I04 is swun downwardly in contact with the roller I05, and since th radius of the cam increases as the lever swings in a counterclockwise direction, the arm IN is urged forwardly, thereby swinging the hitch bar 25 8, downwardly relative to the frame of; the harrow, and supporting the latter throughthe hitch device on the draft frame 36 of the tractor.

Referring now more particularly to Figures 7-10, inclusive, the modification shown in these figures is generally similar to the foregoing embodiment with the exception of the means for raising oneend of the harrow to facilitate right turns and also; the means for locking the hitch device rigidly with respect to 'theharrow frame for purposes of transport. In this embodiment. instead of lifting the front gang for purposes of making a right turn, the rear gang is lifted by means of a lifting device indicated in its entirety by reference numeral IIO, including a lifting wheel llImountcd on the rear transverse frame member I6 of the'rear gang I3 by means providing for castering movement and also for vertical shifting movement into and out of ground engaging position. The wheel III is journaled on a shaft 2, which is supported in a castering" fork II3, which is swingably connected to a spindle II I by means of a transversely disposed pivot pin. 5. The spindle H4 is provided with'a re! duced upper end III; which projects throu h a suitable aperturein a bracket plate I" fixed rigidly to the transverse framemember-JS. A collar H8 is fixed to the reduced upper portion I I6 above thebracket plate I I1. Thus, the wheel I II together with the fork H3 and spindle member H4 is swingable about the generally' vertical axis of the spindle bearing portion IIS, and has a castering action byvirtue of the fact that the vertical axisof the spindle I I6 is ofiset forwardly from the wheel axle I I2. The fork I I3 and wheel I I I are swingable about the transverse axis of the pivot pin II5 between a raised position indicated in Figure 9 in which the wheel III isabove the lower portions of the disks, and a carrying position indicated in Figure 8 in which the wheel II I; is shifted downwardly until it runs one. level below the disks of the rear'gangv I3,- I 0 Normally, the wheelis held in-raised position by means of a spring I20 of the helical type, connected'between a bracket I2I fixed to the rear transverse frame member I5 and extending rearwardly therefrom. The rear end ofpthe, spring I20 is connected to a lever arm I22 which is rigidly fixed to'the wheel fork II3 and extends upwardly and rearwardly therefrom. The spring. I20 is stressed in tension to urge the arm I22 forwardly, thereby swinging the fork H3 lupwardly about the axis of the pivot pin II5. A second lever arm- I23 is rigidly fixed to the front side of the'fork II3 beneath the pivot pin H5 and is connected through a flexible draft member in the form of 'achain I24 with the tractor draft frame 36.- The chain I24-extends upwardly and forwardly'from the lever arm I23 and passes over, aroller I25 journaled onthe front side of the transverse frame member I0 of the rear gang. and extends forwardly over the harrow frame, passing over a second roller I26 liqi rnaled on the front transverse frame member I5 of the front gang frame I4, from which it extends forwardly and inclines downwardly and is connected to the tractor draft frame 36 by a bolt I21.

When the tractor makes a right turn, the chain I24 is pulled forwardly, against the opposition of the spring I20,- swinging the fork II3 down wardly and urging, the wheel I I against the ground and thereby raising the reargang, as indicated in Figure 8. A stop I20 is provided for limiting the forwardv and downward movement of thewheel fork I li andisrigidly fixed tothe 9 rear transverse frame member If. Thus, raising the rear gangon thecaster wheel I II permits the harrow to roll on the disks of the front gang I2, thereby following, the tractor around theright turn As soon as thetractor is straightened, the tension is relieved fromv the chain I24, allowing the spring I20 toretract the wheel fork I'I3 up? wardly and allowing the rear gang I 3 to drop into ground engaging position.

The harrow in this embodiment is raised to transport position by turning the'cranks 12, 82, lowering the transport wheels 55, 53, as explained above; In order to secure the hitch bar 25 rigidly with respect to the harrow frame to stabilize the latter for transport on the wheels 55, 56, a handoperated locking device isprovided, indicated in its entirety by reference numeral I30. The locking device I30 comprises a lever I'3I pivotally mounted on the end member I! of the front gang frame I4 by means of a pivot bolt I,32.. The lever I31 is provided with a notch or recess I33, which is adapted te receive a pin I34 fixed to an arm I35 which is rigidly mounted on the outer end of the transverse pipe member '23. Thus, when the pin I34 is seated firmly within the notch I33, the hitch bar 25 is held against angular movement with respect to the frame of the harrow. The locking lever I3I is retained in locked position by means of a latch dog, I35 which is pivoted at I31 on the lever I3I and has a handle I38 for raising the latch dog I36.

Normally, the lever I3I isswung to a rearwardly extending position as indicated in Figure 8', permitting free vertical swinging movement of the hitch device relative to the harrow as the traetor moves along an uneven surface. When it is desired to transport the harrow, the lever I3! is swung forwardly until the lower edge I39 rests upon the pin I34. The harrow frame is then raised by turning the cranks I2, 82, and as the harrow rises, the arm I35 swings forwardly, inasmuch as the hitch bar 25 remains connected by the. draft pin 31 to the tractor draft frame 36. Preferably, however, the transport wheels 55, 55 are located so that the harrow tends to tip forwardly and therefore it is necessary for the operato'r at the rear of the harrow to push downwardly thereupon after the harrow has been raised upon the wheels 55, 56. This has the effect of raising the front end of the harrow and the rear end of the draft device, causing the pin 35 to slide forwardly on the lower edge I39 and engage the end of the latch dog I36, pushing it forwardly out of the way until the pin I34 drops into the notch'I33, after-which the weight of the latch dog and handle I38 returns it to a position engaging the lower portion'of the pin I33. If desired, a spring IM'may be installed to urge the latch dog toward latched position. The harrow is returned to workingposition by unlocking the hitch device by grasping the handle I38 of the latch dog and swinging the lever I 3-I upwardly and rearwardly to its inoperative position, and then lowering the frame by turning the two cranks I2, 82 until the trans port wheels 55, 56 are raised.

, We do notintend our invention to belimited to the exact details shown and described herein except as set forth in the claims which follow.

We claim: 1. A ground working implement comprising a rigid frame, draft means therefor, two fore and aft spaced, ground engaging tool means mounted on thejfront and rear portions of said frame, a caster wheel, vertically shiftable 'meari's' for mounting said caster wheeladjacent one end of said frame, resilient means acting between said caster wheel and said frame for normally holding said caster wheel in raised position, and a flexible member connected to said caster wheel and adapted to be connected with a draft vehicle in offset relation to said draft means so that a turning of the draft vehicle in one direction will exert a pull on said flexible member overcoming said holding means and lowering said caster wheel, whereby said frame is supported on said caster wheel at said one end of the frame and on the tool means at the other end of said frame.

2. A disk harrow comprising a rigid frame, draft means at the forward end thereof, front and rear gangs of disks mounted on said frame and rotatable about horizontally angled axes, a caster wheel disposed at the rear end of said frame, means for mounting said wheel on said frame providing for vertical shifting movement relative thereto to raise and lower the rear end of said frame, and a flexible connection between said caster wheel and a tractor in offset relation to the draft connection thereto, for shifting said caster wheel downwardly responsive to a turning of the tractor in one direction to raise the rear disk gang off the ground to cause the harrow'to roll on the caster wheel and said front disk gang during a turn.

3. A disk harrow comprising a rigid frame, front and rear gangs of disks mounted on. said frame and rotatable about relatively fixed horizontal axes, a hitch member swingably attached to the forward end of said frame by means providing for vertical swinging movement, relative thereto and adapted to be coupled to a tractor for horizontal swinging movement relative thereto, a flexible draft member adapted to be connected to the tractor in laterally ofiset relation to the connection theretov of said hitch member whereby a turning of saidtractor in one direction exerts a forward pull on said flexible draft member, and lifting means attached to the forward end of said frame and connected with the rear endof said flexible member, said lifting means being responsive to a forward pull on said memher to raise the front gang of disks from the ground to facilitate the turn.

4. A disk harrow comprising a rigid frame, front and rear gangs of disks mounted on said frame and rotatable about relatively fixed horizontal axes, a hitch member swingably attached to the forward end of said frame by means providing for vertical swinging movement relative thereto and adapted to be coupled to a tractor for horizontal swinging movement relativ thereto, a flexible draft member adapted to be connected to the tractor in laterally offset relation to the connection thereto of said hitch member whereby a turning of said tractor in one direction exerts a forward pull on said flexible draft m mber, andja lifting device connected to Said flexible member and acting between said frame and "said hitch member to raise the front end of said frame through said hitch member and support .the latter on the tractor to carry the front disk gang in raised position to facilitate turning.

51A diskharrow comprisin a rigid frame,

front and rear gangs of disks mounted on said frame and rotatable about relatively fixed horizontal axes, a hitch member swingably attached to the forward end of said frame by means providingfor vertical swinging movement relative thereto and adapted to be coupled to a tractor for horizontal swinging movement relative thereto, a flexible draft member adapted to be connected to the tractor in laterally offset relation to the connection thereto of said hitch member whereby a turning of said tractor in one direction exerts a forward pull on said flexible draft member, a sheave journaled on said hitch member on an axis disposed rearwardly of the axis of vertical swinging movement of said hitch member, a second sheave journaled on said frame above said first sheave, said flexible memher being trained around said sheaves, and means for anchoring the end of said flexible member, whereby a forward pull on said flexible member forces said sheaves together, thereby raising the front disk gang to facilitate turning.

6. A disk harrow comprising a rigid frame, front and rear gangs of disks mounted on said frame and rotatable about relatively flxed horizontal axes, a hitch member swingably attached I to the forward end of said frame by means providing for vertical swinging movement 'relative thereto and adapted to be coupled to a tractor for horizontal swinging movement relative thereto, a flexible draft member adapted. to be connected to the tractor in laterally ofiset relation to the connection thereto of said hitch member whereby a turning of said tractor in one direction exerts a forward pull on said flexible draft member, an arm extending upwardly from said hitch member and swingable therewith, a lever pivotally mounted on said arm for movement about a transverse axis, said flexible member being attached to said lever, and a pair of interengaging camming surfaces on said lever and said frame, respectively, responsive to a forward pull on said flexible member to angle said frame and hitch member upwardly to support the forward end of said frame through said hitch member on the tractor. h r V V '7. A disk harrow comprising a rigid frame, front and rear gangs of disks mounted onsaid frame and rotatable about relatively fixed horizontal axes, a hitch member swingably attached to the forward end of said frame bymeans providing for vertical swinging movement relative thereto, transport wheels mounted on said frame by means providing for vertical movement to raise the harrow frame on said wheels from ground working position to transport position, and means for fixing said hitch member angularly relative to said frame'for transporting on said'wheels comprising a pair of sheaves jour naled on said frame and said hitch member, re spectively, a flexible member trained around said sheaves, and means for anchoring the rear end of said flexible member to said frame, whereby a forward pull on the forward end of said flexible member forces said sheaves together, thereby raising the front disk gang to facilitate turning.

8. A disk harrow comprising a rigid frame, front and rear gangs of disks mounted on said frame and rotatable about relatively fixedho-ri zontal axes, ahitch member swingably attached to the forward end of said frame by means providing for vertical swinging movement relative thereto, transport wheels mounted on said frame by means providing for vertical movement to raise the harrow frame on said wheels from ground working position to transport position, and means for fixing said hitchmember angularly relative to said frame for transporting on said wheels comprising an arm fixed on said hitch member, a lever pivoted on said arm for angular movement about a transverse axis, a pair of camming surfaces on said lever andsaid frame, respectively, and adapted to interengage to angle said frame and hitch member upwardly to. form a unitary rigid structure, and means for moving said lever to force the camming surface thereon against the camming surface on said frame so as to hold said hitch member and frame rigid during transport.

9. A disk harrow comprising a rigid frame, front and rear gangs of disks mounted on said frame and rotatable about relatively flxed horizontal axes, a hitch member swingably attached to the forward end of said frame by means providing for vertical swinging movement relative thereto, transport wheels mounted on said frame by means providing for vertical movement to raise the harrowframe on said wheels from ground working position to transport position,

and means forflxing said hitch member angularly relative to said frame for transporting on said wheels comprising an arm fixed on said hitch member and swingable therewith, a detent pin onfsaid arm, a lever pivotally mounted on said frame and having a recess adapted to receive said pin, and 'a' disengageable dog for retaining said pin within said recess, thereby holdingsaid hitch member rigid with respect to said frame for'supporting the forward end of the latter one tractor.

10. Ina disk harrow comprising fore and aft spaced front and rear gangs connected together in horizontally angled working relation and arranged to converge at one side of th harrow, said disk harrow having draft means adapted for connection to a tractor, the combination of lifting 'means mounted on one end of said harrow for raising only one of said gangs from ground working position while the other ofsaid gangs rests on the ground, and a control connection for said raising means adapted to be connectedfto the tractor at a point offset laterally from the point of connection of said draft meansr to cause one gang of said harrow to be raised out of the ground responsive to turning the tractor in a direction away from the point of convergence of said gangs, the harrow being supported during the turn on the other gang.

11. In a disk harrow comprising front and rear gangs connected together in horizontally angled working relation and arranged to converge at one-side of the harrow, said disk harrow having a' hitch member pivotally connected to the forward end of'the harrow for generally vertical swinging relative to the harrow and adapted to be coupled to a tractor for horizontal swinging movement relative thereto, a flexible tension member adapted to be connected to the tractor in laterally offset relation to the connection theretoof said hitch member whereby a turning of the, tractorin one direction exerts a forward pull you said flexible tension member, a caster wheel attachedtothe harrow behind said rear gang by,means providing for vertical shifting movement relative thereto to raise and lower said rear gang and means connected to said flexible tension member and responsive to a forward pull thereon for shifting said caster wheel downwardly responsive to a turning of the tractor in a direction away from the point of convergence ofsaid gangs,to raise the rear gang off the ground to cause the harrow'toi roll on the front disk gangl during a turn away from said point of convergence."

12. In a disk harrow comprising front and rear gangs connected together in horizontally angled working relation and having a hitch member adapted to be coupled to a tractor for horizontal swinging movement relative thereto, means pivotally connecting said hitch member to the forward end of said harrow by means providing for vertical swinging movement relative thereto, a flexible draft member adapted to be connected to the tractor in laterally offset relation to the connection thereto of said hitch mem ber whereby a turning of the tractor in one direction exerts a forward pull on said flexible draft member, and a lifting mechanism connected between said front gang and said hitch member and connected with the rear end of said flexible member, said lifting means being operable to exert a force between said front gang and said hitch member tending to swing the latter vertically responsive to a forward pull on said flexible member to raise said front gang off the ground to facilitate turning.

13. In a disk harrow comprising a rigid frame, front and rear gangs mounted on said frame in horizontally angled relation and converging at one side of said frame, draft means pivotally mounted on said frame for generally vertical swinging movement relative thereto and adapted to be connected at its forward end to a tractor, lifting means mounted on said frame operable to raise only one of said gangs from ground working position while the other of said gangs rests upon the ground, and a motion transmitting connection for said lifting means adapted to be attached to the tractor at a point laterally ofi'set from the point of attachment of said draft means, whereby said one gang is raised from its ground working position responsive to a turn of said tractor in a direction away from the point of convergence of said gangs, said harrow being supported on said other gang during said turn.

14. In a disk harrow comprising front and rear gangs connected together in horizontally angled working relation and having a hitch member pivotally attached at the forward end of the harrow and adapted to be coupled to a tractor REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

' UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 984,625 Waterman Feb. 21, 1911 1,011,385 Smith Dec. 12, 1911 1,013,382 East Jan. 2, 1912 1,030,282 Clancy June 25, 1912 1,171,705 Cornell Feb. 15, 1916 1,711,485 Bergeland May 7, 1929 1,762,633 Johnson June 10, 1930 2,085,633 Cary June 29, 1937 2,164,963 Taylor July 4, 1939 2,297,788 McGehee Oct. 6, 1942 2,337,801 Cook Dec. 28, 1943 2,349,257 Evans May 23. 1944 2,356,876 Newkirk Aug. 29, 1944 2,383,373 Dewey Aug. 21, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 22,199 Australia of 1935 111.999

Australia Dec. 19, 1940 

